Shadowbreath: The New Avenger

Chapter 17

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When Peter arrived at the compound later that evening, he was surprised to see Alex in another shirt that was too big to be her own, doing pull ups on a bar that Tony must have had installed earlier that day. When she noticed him, she hopped down happily and grinned at him. "What's up, Spider-Man? Or should I say Peter?"

His eyebrows chased his hairline and he couldn't resist smiling back. "Hey, someone must have told you my name!" He shot out a hand. "I'm Peter Parker, it's nice to meet you."

"Alex..." She shook his hand and faltered, obviously trying to figure out what to call herself. Peter just shrugged and assured her that just Alex is fine. Tony had texted him during the day explaining that the Avengers agreed that she could accompany them on their mission to retrieve the Arc Reactor, so she was free to wander around the compound as long as she had an escort. Peter was more than happy to help stretch her legs, now that he had Tony's permission.

"So, I hear you can fly the coop now. Wanna take a walk?" He asked, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his school clothes, irrevocably glad that he didn't have to wear the suit anymore.

Alex gestured towards the door and rolled her loose sleeves back up. "Lead the way."

Peter wasn't quite sure where he wanted to take her, but he knew she had already been to the gym, the cafeteria, and Tony's lab, so he was thinking maybe just a stroll across the grounds. With all of the Avenger's security measures, they should be perfectly safe.

"How about we go outside? It's a nice day for October and I bet some fresh air might do you some good." He suggested as they made their way towards the elevator. Alex beamed and nodded excitedly. Peter was a little curious about her clothes, so he asked, "Whom are you wearing today? Yesterday you had on one of Tony's t-shirts, how about today?"

She looked down and picked at the buttons, "Uh, some guy named Banner. I'm not sure, Stark just told me to pick from the clean clothes in the gym lockers."

Peter nodded, "That's Dr. Bruce Banner, then. He's the world's leading expert on Gamma Radiation. He also turns into the Hulk when he gets angry."

Alex's eyes widened and she followed Peter out of the elevator as they stepped onto the first floor. "I don't know much about the Hulk, or any of the other Avengers to be honest. My father was really just focused on Iron Man. What happened to everyone else, anyway?"

Peter chewed on the inside of his cheek and paused before opening the backdoor that led to the grounds. "Well, I'm not sure where Thor and Dr. Banner are. All I know is that they're off-world somewhere. As for everyone else, they're kind of in the wind until the Accords can be signed. Tony was able to work out a deal that cleared them of any charges, so we should see them come back soon. Hawkeye and Ant-Man are on House Arrest, while Captain America, Falcon, the Scarlet Witch, and Vision are hiding out."

As soon as they stepped foot outside, four armed security guards rounded the corner and followed them at a slow pace. Alex shot him a nervous look and he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy as well. When he turned to ask what they were doing, his phone rang and AC/DC's Back in Black cut through the tense air. Peter fumbled to answer and pressed it to his ear. "Tony?"

"Hey kid. I see you ogling the Ghostbusters down there, just ignore them. I have them watching you two for your protection while you're running around outside."

Peter shrugged in Alex's direction and kept walking. "Okay, thanks!"

"Bring our fairy princess up for dinner when you're done. Later, kid." The phone line cut off and he explained that they could ignore the guys behind them.